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Authors Posts by Melissa Dehoff

Melissa Dehoff

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Melissa Dehoff is responsible for all medical rehabilitation and brain injury service issues. Ms. Dehoff attends multiple state-level meetings to advocate on behalf of members on brain injury and rehabilitation issues and is a member of the Department of Health Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board.

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Representative Tim Briggs originally scheduled a voting meeting for January 27, 2026, at 10:00 am to review amendments to HB 2042, known as the Safety in Youth Sports Act, which established standards for managing concussions and traumatic brain injuries of students participating in athletic activities. This meeting has been rescheduled to February 3, 2026, at 8:30 am.

Representative Briggs introduced HB 2042 in 2011. This meeting will include a discussion about proposed amendments to the original bill that will expand the scope of this Act to further provide for the proper management of brain injuries. The amendments include non-scholastic league and recreational sports and also provide information on Return to Learn. Representative Briggs will be incorporating this bill into the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes so that it is no longer a freestanding act.

The meeting will be held in Room 60 in the East Wing and will be livestreamed from the House Committee website.

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Inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) are reminded, as part of the Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoP), that one week of information must be submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC NHSN) portal related to certain respiratory conditions (COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV). This information must be submitted in January, as defined in the Protocol for the NHSN Hospital Respiratory Data (HRD) Reporting:

“To meet the annual reporting requirement, annual reporters should report data using either the HRD daily data pathway or HRD weekly data pathway for one of the following full weeks in January 2026:

  • Sunday, January 4, 2026 – Saturday January 10, 2026 (due by Tuesday January 13, 2025 – past due)
  • Sunday, January 11, 2026 – Saturday January 17, 2026 (due by Tuesday January 20, 2026 – past due)
  • Sunday, January 18, 2026 – Saturday January 24, 2026 (due by Tuesday January 27, 2026)
  • Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Saturday January 31, 2026 (due by Tuesday February 3, 2026)”

Additional information on the Respiratory Reporting Requirements is available here.

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released the agenda and call information for the February 4, 2026, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting. This meeting will be held via webinar/remote streaming only from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Comments and questions for this meeting should be sent electronically.

The conference line for the meeting is:
Bridge Number: 1 (914) 614-3221 PIN: 938-224-090#
Webinar Link
Remote Streaming Link

For additional information about this meeting, visit the LTSS Subcommittee website.

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Today, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) issued Bulletin 59-26-02, “Participant Review Tool,” which updates the standardized Participant Review Tool (PRT) for Service Coordinators (SC) as well as provides additional clarification on the location of face-to-face visits with participants when completing the PRT.

This bulletin also provides guidance to SCs on when increased face-to-face visits with program participants should be scheduled to protect their health, safety, and welfare. This bulletin rescinds OLTL Bulletin 59-16-12 and any other OLTL policy documents or parts of policy documents that are inconsistent with this bulletin’s contents. This bulletin applies to enrolled Service Coordination Entities (SCEs) performing services in OLTL Medical Assistance Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for the OBRA waiver and the Act 150 Program.

Members are encouraged to review the bulletin, as well as the following documents that were included with the bulletin:

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The Department of Health’s (DOH) Brain Injury (BI) Advisory Board will hold their public meeting on Friday, February 6, 2026, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) office, 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112 in the Cumberland conference room. The meeting materials will be sent out before the meeting and will also be available on the Board’s website and at the meeting location. Questions should be directed to Nicole Johnson.

DOH’s Head Injury Program (HIP) strives to ensure that eligible individuals who have a brain injury receive high quality rehabilitative services aimed at reducing functional limitations and improving quality of life. The BI Advisory Board assists DOH in understanding and meeting the needs of individuals living with acquired brain injuries, both traumatic and nontraumatic, and their families. This quarterly meeting provides updates on a variety of topics, including the number of people served by HIP. In addition, meeting participants will discuss budgetary and programmatic issues, community programs relating to traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries, and available advocacy opportunities.

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Representative Tim Briggs has scheduled a voting meeting for January 27, 2026, at 10:00 am to review amendments to HB 2042, known as the Safety in Youth Sports Act, which established standards for managing concussions and traumatic brain injuries of students participating in athletic activities.

Representative Briggs introduced HB 2042 in 2011. This meeting will include discussion about proposed amendments to the original bill which will expand the scope of this Act to further provide for the proper management of brain injuries. The amendments include non-scholastic league and recreational sports and also provide information on Return to Learn. Representative Briggs will also be incorporating this bill into the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes so that it is no longer a freestanding act.

The meeting will be held in Room 205 in the Ryan Office Building and will be livestreamed from the House Committee website.

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The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was held on January 7, 2026. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given.

Members should take time to review the agenda and PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:

The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for February 4, 2026 (virtual only) from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. To participate, register for the meeting here. The call information is below:

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Congressman Brett Guthrie, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Morgan Griffith, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, recently announced a hearing “Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Medicare Services.”

This Subcommittee on Health hearing will be held on January 8, 2026, at 10:15 am to discuss legislation focused on improving Medicare payment policies and expanding access to care for seniors.

The hearing will focus on the following bills:

  • H.R. 1703, Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025 (Rep. Joyce – PA)
  • H.R. 2005, DMEPOS Relief Act of 2025 (Rep. Miller-Meeks)
  • H.R. 2172, Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (Rep. Buchanan)
  • H.R. 2477, Portable Ultrasound Reimbursement Equity Act of 2025 (Rep. Van Duyne)
  • H.R. 2902, Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform (SOAR) Act of 2025 (Rep. Valadao)
  • H.R. 5243, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase data transparency for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage. (Rep. McClellan)
  • H.R. 5269, Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act of 2025 (Rep. Hudson)
  • H.R. 5347, Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act (Rep. Buchanan)
  • H.R. 6210, Senior Savings Protection Act (Rep. Matsui)
  • H.R. 6361, Ban AI Denials in Medicare Act (Rep. Landsman)

The hearing will be open to the public as well as livestreamed. Questions about the hearing should be directed to Annabelle Huffman.

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Following the creation of the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut legislation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the establishment of the Office of Rural Health Transformation (ORHT). This new office will be located within the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) and will continue overseeing the RHT Program. The RHT Program is a $50 billion initiative to strengthen rural health systems and expand access to care nationwide. As noted in RCPA’s Alert from December 30, 2025, Pennsylvania will receive nearly $200 million in 2026.

ORHT, which announced approved awardees on December 29, 2025, will guide states in implementing their rural health transformation plans, provide technical assistance, coordinate federal and state partnerships, and ensure strong oversight and accountability throughout the five-year program, which will run through September 30, 2031.

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Businesswoman using smartphone with monthly calendar to plan 2025 activities. Scheduling and organizing plans. Technology and business concept.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the March 2026 date for the Long-Terms Services and Supports Subcommittee (LTSS) meeting has been changed. The meeting has been changed from March 4, 2026, to March 11, 2026. The meeting will be held via webinar and remote streaming, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Questions and comments may be submitted electronically.

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